Accused rapist in Colorado not connected to rapes in Lawrence, Manhattan

Jesse Fray

A Colorado man suspected of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women in New Mexico and Texas has been ruled out as a suspect in a series of rapes in Lawrence and Manhattan, Kan., the Kansas attorney general’s office said.

Authorities said 47-year-old Robert Bruce tried to kill a police officer in Pueblo, Colo., where the suspect lives. Officers said DNA from the attempted-murder case linked Bruce to assaults in Albuquerque, N.M., and Austin.

Lawrence police investigators contacted law enforcement in Colorado to see whether there were any connections to the series of 13 sexual assaults in Lawrence and Manhattan, Kan., that date back to 2000, said Ashley Anstaett, spokeswoman for Kansas Attorney General Steve Six.

Anstaett said detectives determined there were no connections or similarities between the rapes.

The case also prompted inquiries from investigators in Fort Collins, Colo., and Lubbock, Texas, authorities said.